Faith and Works

“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:8-10

When a seed has been planted in good soil, life will spring up and grow!  Thus it is with God’s life.  When we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and renewed by His resurrection, the seed of redemption/resurrection will burst forth in some way that is somehow discernible.

In the above passage, the Greek word for “workmanship” is “poiema“, meaning “a thing that is made”.  (Having written poems nearly all my life, since I could wield a pencil or pen, it touches me deeply to realize that our word “poem” comes from “poiema“—perhaps implying that we are God’s poems.)

Since the Ephesian passage (along with countless other Scriptures) categorically states that God made us, and He created us to do “works” which He designated specifically and personally for each of us–-ordained in Eternity Past—it metaphorically blows me away when I hear arguments about and confusion concerning the book of James, which stresses the fact that where there is genuine faith there will be works.

I have a good and very precious friend who loves to challenge me by claiming that the book of James states we are saved by works.  This friend is a new believer who has never sat under disciplined, exegetical teaching.  He plays Bible Leap Frog, jumping here and there without connecting the Scriptural dots, without putting individual verses into the Bible framework from Genesis to Revelation.  So I examine all of James, who has written in 1:17—“Every good gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”  I find it so obvious, that any good works we Christians may do are included in those “good gifts from above”.

That understanding fits perfectly into Ephesians 2:8-10.  All of my life has been known by God from Eternity Past.  He not only ordained my works, He ordained me to do these works.  When I fail, I very clearly have lost my focus on the Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in His complete Word.

It cannot be stressed enough that when the Holy Spirit works in us, that Spirit will flow from us in a way that defies any human machination.  We love God “because He first loved us” (I John 4:19).  From that love, “works” will flow—as we keep Christ in the center of our lives, acknowledging that He is our Life!  In Colossians 1;10, Paul prays, “That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.“

 Throughout the Bible, faith and works are inseparable partners.  When we walk by faith, His works will follow.  Works apart from faith and trust in God, His Sovereignty, and His Lordship of our lives are “wood, hay, and stubble”.  But works that flow from God’s life in us, from our focus on Him, are pre-ordained.

Very clearly, we cannot be saved by human works:  i.e. Isaiah 57:12, Romans 3:20, Galatians 2:16 for starters,  And II Timothy 1:9 should clarify any confusion for all time:  “(God) has saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began . . . .”

In the book of James, who was one of the “pillars” of the church in Jerusalem, the context of “works” specifically refers to James’s “brethren” (James 1:2).  James is exhorting fellow believers to pray in faith, for wisdom that reflects pure and undefiled religion before God (James 1:27) —from which His works will flow for the welfare and edification of others.  The works are the evidence, not the cause of salvation. 

Perhaps some confusion exists over what constitutes “works”.  Throughout the New Testament, the Greek word for our English word, “works” is “ergon”, meaning a deed, doing, toil, labor, etc.  Works may be obvious public service, but the attitude in which one serves is also part of the deed.  Works begin with a redeemed, renewed heart affecting the way we think, the way we speak, the way we work, the way we relate, and the way we live and breath each moment on earth.  Spirit filled “work” is a worship in myriad forms from building a shelter for the homeless to writing a poem which honors our Savior by affirming life.

Back in 1971, only one week after God had picked me up and plunked me into His Kingdom, my 13 year old daughter said to me:  “Mom, you are “different!”  In that short week, my duties and labors had not changed on the outside.  I was wife, mother of 5, keeper of the home, and tender of 2 dogs and numerous cats.  I baked, cleaned, packed school lunches, drove the van hither and thither, did the laundry for the 7 of us, shopped, nurtured whomever happened to be sick at the time, did the bookkeeping and other office jobs for our business, and produced good meals without fail—just as I had been doing all along.  But suddenly I was “different”, and an intuitive 13 year old noticed.  What had been my works had become God’s work—foreordained for me before the world was formed.

I thank God for drawing me into His Kingdom in 1971.  Every single day since then I have had a choice:  will I allow Him to work through me, or will I try to blunder and bluster along in my own fallen human effort?

There is joy when I rest in the Lord and say, “Thy will be done”.  Christ is the creator of my faith, and the originator of any and all work that honors Him!  Where the seed of redemption and resurrection have been planted in receptive soil, His life will spring forth and grow!

Margaret L. Been — March 19, 2018

 

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THE WATERSHED: How does your church view Israel?

Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a jewelry nut, and an antique nut also.  Over the years I’ve accumulated a stash of charming vintage necklaces and some antique rings.  There was a time when I changed off frequently in order to wear them all, but not anymore.  In today’s world the above pieces, along with my wedding ring and diamond, are an essential part of every day’s décor–yet far more than “decoration”.

Like the wedding ring and diamond, the “religious jewelry” makes a blatant statement to all who behold—a statement both spiritual and political.  On occasion I may add a pretty Victorian cameo ensconced in teeny pearls.  But the Cross and the Star of David, the rings my husband gave me, plus a pair of dangling Star of David earrings (not shown in the above photo) are constant visuals standing for everything I value and hold precious—both in Heaven and on Earth!

What was once the Christian Church in the USA is presently in tatters.  Churches may be divided along many terms:  faithful and fundamental vs. emergent and seeker friendly; doctrinally sound vs. apostate; uplifting and life-changing vs. stagnant and ritualistic.  The list of contrasts could go on.   But there is one huge distinguishing watershed:  How does your church view Israel?

A local church that treasures God’s literal Word, upholds the nation of Israel, and passionately loves God’s chosen people the Jews is less apt to lose its moorings than today’s mainstream no-longer-Christian institution—which has departed from God’s truth, blasphemed His righteousness, and mocked His life-affirming values.

How anyone could ever consider the church to be “a new Israel” is confusing beyond the beyond.  I really wonder what these churches use for Bibles.  Certainly not the Bible I know and love, albeit King James, New King James, or NIV.  How can the nearly 1/3 of Scripture which reveals historically-proven events as well as the yet-to-be-fulfilled End Times scenario, be sloughed off as if it were never written—or nefariously twisted into volumes of fallen human interpretation in symbolic language with no exegetical basis whatsoever?

Of course the answer is obvious:  the Great Falling Away has been prophesied!

The current world wide groundswell of anti-Semitism is thoroughly sickening, perhaps especially to those of us who vividly remember what happened in the 1930s and 40s—as well as to anyone who has an understanding of the Bible and world history!  In Genesis 12:2-3, God promised Abraham:  “And I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Thus we can be sure that a nation which has recently pledged $400 million to “rebuild Gaza” will not last much longer.  With our millions, plus other UN contributions amounting to a total of 5.4 billion, Hamas will undoubtedly build many more rockets, plant them in their hospitals and schools since they do not begin to value human life, and aim those rockets at the only civilized nation in the Middle East—indeed, one of the few truly humane and decent nations left on earth.

With the accrued billions, can’t you just visualize a tangle of new tunnels providing entry from Gaza into Israel?   “Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to work we go.”  But unfortunately, Hamas and others of its ilk are not the Seven Dwarfs!

Prophecy assures us of that glorious culmination when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth to reign in His Holy City, Jerusalem.  Romans 11:26 promises,  “And so all Israel shall be saved:  as it is written, ‘There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer . . . .’ ” 

Passage after passage, book after book of the Old Testament project this promise along with the heartbreaking and utter devastation which will preempt the Lord’s return to earth—that devastation which the true, Bible believing Church will be spared, per I Thessalonians 4:13-17.

My Bible is perfectly clear, and I hope yours is as well!  How does your church view Israel?

Margaret L. Been, © October 2014

NOTE:  Origins of visitors to this site over the last 30 days:

United States	292
Canada	4
India	4
Australia	3
Germany	2
Dominican Republic	1
United Kingdom	1
Philippines	1
Jamaica	1
Trinidad and Tobago	1
New Zealand	1
Malaysia	1
Ghana	1
Finland	1

For details on how these stats are calibrated you can GOOGLE and access my latest entry, “Nuts and Bolts” on Grace with Salt.   

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He is RISEN! He is ALIVE!

Before our last presidential election, President Obama stated that “Al Qaeda is on the run.”  And just recently, Al Qaeda staged a public demonstration in the country of Yemen—telling the world that Islamic terrorism is stronger than ever before.  Al Qaeda spokesmen declared that they will defeat THE CROSS, and that THE CROSS is represented by America; therefore America is their prime target.  These words, ominous as they may be in their tragic potential, did not terrorize me one bit—because I know in my heart and mind THE CROSS of Jesus Christ will never be defeated.  THE CROSS is victorious!

We are living in “perilous times”, as predicted in II Timothy 3:1.  Ever since a certain couple was ousted from a garden, there have been perilous times.  Yet a study of prophecy in light of world events indicates that peril on all fronts is ramping up to what may be a prelude to Christ’s return.  He has defeated sin and death, through His death on THE CROSS and His bodily RESURRECTION—which we Christians will celebrate this coming Sunday, just as we celebrate THE RESURRECTION every day of our lives.

This week I’ve been musing over events leading to THE RESURRECTION of our Lord Jesus Christ:  the perfidy of the crowds in Jerusalem, the travesty of evil religious leaders, the rotten political scene as exhibited in the illegal and phony trials which our Lord endured, the cruel oppression of Rome, and of course the unspeakable horrors of Jesus’ death on Calvary.

As I consider the downfall of our nation and the recent scandals which our government has largely ignored I recall how Jesus was born, lived, and died—yes, and ROSE—in the midst of a perilous, sin-ridden world characterized by evil.  Yet none of that evil could defeat Him.  Instead, His Word spread—and has flourished in many places over some two thousand years.

THE CROSS, always a symbol of victory, prevails.  It will never be defeated or obliterated.  Down through history, right up to (and including) my own lifetime, many have tried:  Hitler, Stalin, myriads of angry atheists around the globe, and now Al Qaeda.  Nations will crumble and fall, as portrayed in Isaiah 40: 15:  “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance; behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing.”  But THE CROSS will prevail!

Our Lord is victorious.  He is a personal God who desires the salvation of every single person.  A personal photo—taken yesterday afternoon on the maternity floor of a local hospital—expresses what THE CROSS, and RESURRECTION are all about!

“The thief cometh not but to steal, and kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.”  John 10:10

THE CROSS AND THE RESURRECTION ARE ALL ABOUT LIFE!  He is Risen!  He is Alive!  He is LIFE!

Margaret L. Been, April 2014

 

 

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“Do not keep silent, O God!”

“Do not keep silent, O God!  Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God.  For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head.  They have taken crafty counsel against Your people and consulted together against Your sheltered ones.  They have said ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’ “  Psalm 83 (NKJV)

I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior on a bitter cold January day in 1971.  The church I was attending was excellent in presenting the Gospel, and teaching the basics of the faith.  Immediately I was immersed in a detailed study of Romans, and forever entrenched in the “amazing grace” of the indwelling Holy Spirit and my eternal security in Christ.

However, after a few months it occurred to me that large portions of Scripture were being omitted.  The Bible teaching at that church jumped from Exodus and the historical books straight into the Gospels and New Testament letters.  What about all that “no man’s land” in between?  I was inexorably drawn to the prophetic Scriptures, yet hadn’t the foggiest idea of how to unravel the mysteries therein.

Finding a church where the entire Word of God was taught became a huge priority for me.  Because God always honors a desire to grow in Scripture, He led me to a local church where the pre-tribulation rapture and premillennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ were taught.  I also researched other End Times beliefs:  a-millennial, post millennial, etc.  But these simply could not measure up to the literal Word of God which I realized was clearly expressed in the pre-trib, premillennial view.

Back in the 1970s, the eschatological “revived Roman Empire” described in the book of Daniel was generally believed by prophecy scholars to mean a federation of European nations.  So our eyes focused on the European Union.  Gradually, however, current events served to turn our attention to the Middle East and those brutal enemies which surround God’s nation of Israel.  The Iran Hostage Crisis, the Iraq War, and the 9/11 attack on America—plus all that has transpired in the Middle East since then—have rendered Europe, with the exception of (actually Eurasion) Russia who is inextricably linked to Iran, to be far less of a threat than we once surmised!

The Middle East!  As former-terrorist-turned-believer in Jesus Christ, Walid Shoebat, asserts in his book, GOD’S WAR ON TERROR:  “The Bible is a Middle Eastern book.”  And obviously, the Middle East was once submerged under the far-extending boot of the Roman Empire!  Today, who can deny that Islam is diabolically opposed to Judaism, Christianity, and the subsequent values which have, until recently, permeated our Western culture?  That opposition was succinctly prophesied centuries before the birth of Christ, by the writer of Psalm 83.

Curiosity led me to check out an explanation of Psalm 83 in my edition of the Wycliffe Bible Commentary which was copyrighted in 1962. Considering today’s events, how astounding are these words in the 1962 commentary!  “Psalm 83 is a typical national lament in a time of great danger . . . The occasion cannot be identified with certainty because at no period in Israel’s history has such a confederation of nations existed.  The psalm may refer to an event unrecorded elsewhere in Israel’s history . . . .”

Now, in 2013, we are drastically removed from 1962—and Psalm 83 reads like a current newscast!  The names of some of the tribes may have changed into national entities, but the hatred of God’s people persists—rapidly escalating to international proportions.

There can be no turning back, no “Kum ba yah”, no holding hands around a campfire with any who promote an ideology of death to all and everything that is righteous and good!!!  The ruler who “seeks to change the times and the law” is at hand.  The Lord’s return in the clouds for his own—prior to the horrors of Great Tribulation and the forming of God’s literal Kingdom on earth—is pending.

We are watching God’s plan unfold before our eyes!  As well as spurring us on to sharing our faith and our blessed “hope” (which is a certainty!) in Christ, knowing the Lord may return for us any day inspires us to “redeem the moment” by living as exuberantly and creatively as possible—in drastic contrast to the ever-darkening world around us.

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem . . . It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”  Zechariah 19:2, 9 (NKJV)

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!  For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.  The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness.  The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.”  Joel 3:14-16 (NKJV)

As our Lord prayed, “Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven”, so I pray every day of my life:  “Come, Lord Jesus!”  “Do not keep silent, O God!”

Margaret L. Been, 2013

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